Amitabh Bachchan's 'Leader' brings political fever on celluloid

With the election season in full swing, filmmaker Abhishek Chadha is ready with his latest project, 'Leader', which deals with governance at the grassroots and how the choice of a right candidate is crucial for progress. It is also about the struggle of individuals who want to bring about positive changes in the political scenario

Political drama is all around us this election season with leaders in the power battle vying for votes. In keeping with the mood of the month, filmmaker Abhishek Chadha is all set for the release of his film, 'Leader' that stars the hit jodi of Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan. Set in a rural backdrop, the film talks about an individual’s struggle against corrupt leadership. Excerpts from an interview with the filmmaker:

Q. What’s the concept of your film?A. The story is set in a village and talks about political consciousness. It tells us that local elections are as important as national level polls. And that choosing the right candidate is important for growth and development. Leader is also the story of brave women who fight all odds of living in a male dominated society. It’s a story of a women, who contests the election, her problems with her family, how she faces opposition from a section of the opposite sex and how she fights for her rights. It is story of coming up trumps against all adversity. The film focuses on social issues like corruption and violence against women. I got a lot of confidence when Amitabh Bachchan supported me. He always says provide wholesome entertainment to people with a good film.

Q. How was it working with Amitabh Bachchan?A. This is my fourth film with him. He’s the easiest person to work with as he completely surrenders himself to the director. It was an honour for me that he agreed to work on such a subject. Moreover, we will see Amitji sharing screen space with Jayaji after a hiatus of 14 years. She is essaying the role of his wife in the film. I am also thankful to our producer Deepak Sawant for instilling faith in me to make this film.

Q. What were the challenges you faced while making this film?A. I treat every film of mine as my first film and give it my best shot. It drives me to deliver my best.

Q. Do you feel that socially relevant films need to be commercialised?A. I would say that the film has a social message in a commercial format. I would like to mention that it’s a clean, family-oriented film for the masses as well as the classes.

Watch out for:The story is about a teacher Master Vishmbharnath (Amitabh Bachchan) who happily lives with his wife Kalyani (Jaya Bachchan) and son (Dinesh). But one day Vishmbharnath’s life takes a massive turn when MLA Tiwari (Gulshan Grover), a crooked politician, calls him to join his team. Vishmbharnath says no and fights against him. The movie is the journey of a honest man who becomes a leader for his family and people.

In a shot: Big B has done exceptionally well in all the socio-political dramas he has starred so far. The fact that Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan will be seen together is another high for film buffs across the country.